Australian
Gambling And Vice News Update, by Greg Tingle - 28th
April 2011

Australia
continues to be a hotbed for Australian gambling,
casino and vice news, be it political, legal, new
games and innovation, tours, casinos battling it out
for the top entertainment acts, and so it goes on.

Media
Man scours Australia for the hottest and most entertaining
news to be found...

A
double Australian tag team...4...off-duty police officers
are under investigation over a brawl at Adelaide's
famous SkyCity Casino. Just after midnight yesterday,
a bloke came out of a toilet and complained to a guard
a group of men were harassing him. News outlet Channel
7 reported last night the group emerged from the toilet
and approached the man, who is alleged to have told
them: "Leave me alone, I don't want anything
to do with this."
A fight then erupted, in which casino gaming tables
were knocked for six and seven security guards rushed
to the incident. The men were notified Hindley St
police had been called, to which they allegedly replied:
"We are the police." Police are reviewing
security footage, and Superintendent Graham Goodwin
said an investigation was continuing. We wish the
police good luck with the investigation - both sides
of the police.

Snoop
Dogg Enjoys Time In Australian Casinos; Star City
In Sin City Sydney..

With
hip-hop stars Snoop Dogg and Nelly have been enjoying
their time down under in Australia. At an announced
side-show in Sydney's Star City Casino last weekend,
the two famed hip-hop stars shocked the crowd when
an ensemble of acclaimed Supafest co-stars joined
them on stage. Industry luminaries The Game, T-Pain,
Busta Rhymes, Fat Joe and Spliff Star all joined in
the fun. They wowed fans with an hour of freestyle
rapping. The show is already being described as the
biggest hip-hop show in Australian history. Star City
in Sydney is hoping to look after them again, as is
the Tabcorp owned sister casino on the Gold Coast
- Jupiters Hotel and Casino.

Famous
Australian Gambler And Sportsman Brendan Fevola Will
Pay Kids' Charity...

You
know the name, and you know some of his games. AFL,
poker and casino slots. Fev will make a payment to
well known and respected charity Variety. They will
be the beneficiary of ex AFL star Brendan Fevola's
drunken New Year's Eve. The former Carlton and Brisbane
full forward will pay about $2000 to the charity to
avoid charges of obstructing police and public nuisance.
Fevola was arrested after ignoring police instructions
to get off the road in Brisbane's Fortitude Valley
about 4.30am on New Year's Day. The situation degenerated
when he resisted arrest and threatened police, allegedly
saying: "Come on, take your hat and badge off,
I'll smash you." The dual-Coleman medallist had
pleaded guilty to the charges but entered mediation
talks with police this month to have them dropped.
He also wrote a letter of apology to the police involved.
Fevola's lawyer Jim Coburn told Brisbane Magistrates
Court yesterday mediation had been successful and
a commitment has been signed for Fevola to donate
the money. The charity, Variety Queensland, was chosen
by police. Fevola has two weeks to fulfil the mediation
terms. Fevola, who has struggled with gambling and
alcohol issues throughout his career, lost about $1
million through betting and admitted he attempted
suicide at his lowest point. He spent two months in
rehab to deal with mental health and addiction issues
after the altercation with police. The living legend
was sacked by the Brisbane Lions while he was still
in rehab, a move which drew criticism from some quarters,
including the AFL Players' Association. Fevola moved
back to Melbourne after his release from rehab to
be closer to his family, however he is now estranged
from his wife Alex and three daughters. His battle
with gambling is ongoing. He has been removed from
James Packer owned Crown Casino as well as a suburban
pokies venue in recent months. Fevola has not given
up hope of returning to the AFL, playing for VFL side
Casey Scorpions to help rebuild his career. We wish
Fev well with his ongoing journey.

A
Melbourne 26 year-old known as "Grease Trap Man"
and "Ocean's One" after he was rescued from
a ventilation shaft at Crown casino walked out...slipped
away if you will... a free man from court yesterday.
Melbourne Magistrates' Court heard two charges against
Brook Adrian Valencic, 26, had been withdrawn by prosecutors.
Valencic, of Sydenham, faced a charge of criminal
damage to a door at Crown and a second charge of trespass,
over the incident in July last year. It is believed
the crim defence planned to argue he was so drunk
he could remember nothing of the incident and police
concluded they could not prove the charges. Valencic
spent hours trapped in the grease-filled ventilation
shaft and was pulled clear by a search and rescue
crew after staff at the Automatic Cafe heard screaming
when they turned on the ovens. He was covered head
to toe in grease, as was worried his might of been
in line for a cooked alive number ala battered fish
fry. The rescuers had to crawl into the shaft to rescue
Valencic, who was hot and dehydrated, but otherwise
unharmed, yet a touch worried about what was about
to get cooked. At the time of the incident firefighters
thought he entered the steel duct from a stairwell,
crawled about 30m, and then fell vertically through
the vents until he became wedged above the cafe's
grill. Valencic left court without talking to the
press. Crown Casino security and law enforcement agencies
will be watching Crown Casino like hawks as The Logies
is to take place on the 1st April, opened by performing
artist come casino babe Katy Perry.

From
Australia to Vegas To Biloxi, the embattled Aussie
firm is bouncing back with a vengeance.

Aristocrat
Technologies is bringing top-name celebrities to Biloxi
for the annual Southern Gaming Summit. "Tarzan(R)"
and "Mr. Cashman" of Cashman Fever(TM) will
be front and center as Aristocrat unveils its newest
games that will help operators across the South give
their customers the greatest gaming experience every
day. Aristocrat will be in booth #812, where the stunning
new video slot game Tarzan®Lord of the Jungle
will bring a call of the wild to the tradeshow floor.
Tarzan Lord of the Jungle is the newest title in Aristocrat's
award-winning VERVEhd cabinet, where the game's
big screen style action stretches top to bottom. The
game is complete with incredible stereo sound, seven
high-hit frequency bonus features and a four-level
progressive with a jungle-sized top jackpot of $250,000.
Co-starring at the event is every casino player's
best friend, Mr. Cashman, who is now starring
in the new video slot game Cashman Fever. Cashman
Fever brings the fun and excitement that players have
come to expect from Mr. Cashman to a scorching hot
new level. Cashman Fever is a new feature-rich, highly
entertaining gaming experience with four red-hot,
high-frequency Cashman Fever bonus features and an
exclusive Cashman Fever Progressive Link feature that
offers 20 jackpot pools. Aristocrat is riding a wave
of award-winning success, and the company will be
showing off its most recent award-winning products,
including More Hearts and More Chilli,
the opening titles on Aristocrat's all-new and award-winning
game category Mega Pay, which was recently named
one of the Top Ten Slot Floor Products for 2011 in
the fifth annual Casino Enterprise Management Slot
Floor Technology Awards. Aristocrat will also be showing
its all-new game category Win Your Way and its
industry-exclusive Nteractiv LCD Programmable
Buttons, which were both recently named to the list
of Casino Journal's annual "Top 20 Most Innovative
Gaming Technology Awards." Aristocrat will introduce
southern operators to Stuntman Sam, the company's
newest hero who in this thrilling new game attempts
several heart-stopping, death-defying feats to give
players an entertaining gaming experience and a big
win. And "Rock Star of the Art World," Michael
Godard's work will be on display in Monster Boogie,
the hilarious sequel to the instant player favorite
Rockin Olives. Also showing Gazellions
and Fortune Fantasy, where players have a chance
to play four games at once; and the latest entry in
Aristocrat's Reel Tall Tales line, The Headless
Horseman, a triple standalone progressive with
five bonus features. They're not just games, they're
Aristocrat games, and they give the greatest gaming
experience every day.

Return
to the Scene of the Crime; Sin City Sydney Crime Tourism...

Gamblers,
histories and many tourists will love this. From murder
and robbery to gambling and civil unrest, Sydneys
turbulent history will be revealed as we visit crime
scenes from the past and present in this fascinating
walking tour of Circular Quay and The Rocks.
The walk starts from the Justice & Police Museum
and winds its way through the city to finish in The
Rocks. Both planned and spontaneous true crime stories
are looked at in detail on this tour.

No
city in the world can rival Sydney's tolerance for
organised crime - Professor Alfred W McCoy, 1980.
In the second half of the 20th century, Sin City was
in every way a fitting nickname for Sydney. Organised
crime held a grip on the city and corruption was rife,
infiltrating the top levels of politics, law and justice.
Focusing on the 1940s to the 1980s, this exhibition
will examine some of the audacious crimes, fascinating
people and various vice trades  from suburban
SP bookmakers and sly-grog sellers to narcotics dealers
and flashy illegal casinos  that bankrolled
corruption...
Website: HHT

Keith
Bulfin; Casino And Business Criminal Tells His Story
In Undercover Tell All Book...

His
colourful story, described in his autobiographical
novel Undercover, reads like a movie script. Bulfin
says while the novel is fiction, it is based on the
true events of his life. The events may sound fantastical,
he says, but he can prove it all actually happened.
The story starts in the 1990s, when he was running
a mortgage company, and fell out of favor of the law
on a charge of conspiracy to defraud in the valuations
of Lasseters Casino and Dreamworld. My lawyers
said, Youve got no chance, theyll
throw the book at you. I pleaded guilty and
got sent to prison, he says. Bulfin was stabbed
and beaten several times at Port Phillip Prison, and
progressively moved to higher security sections with
tougher criminals at every turn, until he ended up
in a so-called supermax unit. "There are 20 people
in the unit, and youre under surveillance 24/7.
Its one of the worst units in Australia,"
Bulfin says. Bulfin advised he has a good reason for
writing a book about such a dangerous man, someone
who could easily arrange for him to be killed. "I
was sick of psychologists. I thought Ill write
a book, and maybe its therapy," he says.
"Also, by writing a book, Im safer, and
now no-one can threaten me." Bulfin says his
book, which was originally intended to be released
as a true story, is going to be made into a movie
called The Banker. Keith Bulfin will be speaking at
this years Bayside Literary Festival on May
22 from 1pm2.30pm. The event will be held at
the Brighton Savoy, 150 The Esplanade. Cost is $10,
and afternoon tea will be provided.

Aussie
Rock Gods INXS Play Moncton Casino On July 7...

Australian
rock group INXS is going to perform at Casino New
Brunswick's Entertainment Centre in Moncton in July.
The band, performing in support of new album Original
Sin, will start the rock n roller Thursday, July 7
at 8 p.m. Doors open at 7 p.m. Over the span of the
band's 30-year career, INXS has sold more than 30
million albums worldwide. They have scored hits on
four different continents and have received MTV Awards,
World Music Awards, two Grammy nominations, British
Music Awards and Gold, Platinum and Diamond sales
status on their records. They have also performed
over 4,000 live shows for more than 25 million people
in almost 50 countries. First as the Farriss Brothers,
then as INXS, the band is made up of brothers Tim,
Jon and Andrew Farriss, along with Kirk Pengilly and
Garry Gary Beers. Original INXS singer Michael Hutchence
died in 1997 via a dark and adventurous sexual method
and has been replaced at various times by different
singers, notably J.D. Fortune who grew up in Nova
Scotia. Fortune is fronting the band on stage, but
on Original Sin new versions of classic INXS hits
were recorded with various vocalists, including Train's
Pat Monahan, Rob Thomas and Ben Harper. Tickets for
the Moncton INXS show go on sale Thursday at 10 a.m.
Casino execs think INXS will boost numbers to the
venue and should see more folks trying their luck
on casino games. Sounds like something to check out.

Punters,
er readers, stay glued to Media
Man for more "can't miss" news on Australian
pokies and gambling wars.

New
poker machine restrictions proposed by Tasmanian independent
Andrew Wilkie will "annihilate" pubs and
clubs in the Hunter, leaving hundreds out of work,
ClubsNSW Newcastle councillor Jon Chin says. Clubs
Australia is launching a $20 million advertising campaign
on Monday in an attempt to prevent the introduction
of mandatory pre-commitment technology for all poker
machines. Banjo, a John "Singo" Singleton
company is behind the campaign. Mandatory pre-commitment
requires pokies users to commit to a spending limit
before they begin gambling. Once they reach that limit
they will be unable to gamble again until the following
day or longer, depending on what restrictions the
player sets for themselves. Chin said the cost of
implementing the new technology in the Hunter region
would surpass $100 million. This figure did not include
the 40% in revenue clubs would experience once the
restrictions were imposed, he said. "This means
Hunter clubs will lose another $100 million, making
it impossible for us to sustain our businesses,"
he said. Australian Hotels Association Hunter sub-branch
vice-president Bruce Woods said there was no evidence
to suggest the restrictions would discourage people
from gambling. "This won't help pathological
gamblers at all but it will lead to a loss of jobs,"
he said. "We support the clubs' campaign against
this, it will affect pubs just as much as clubs".

Online
Gaming Strong Growth In Asia...

Online
gaming industry has grown into a $US3 billion business
that provides a good standard of living to migrant
workers in Asia who play games all day and sometimes,
all night! Virtual currency is all the rage, it sometimes
gets sold to punters abroad for cash. A World Bank
study demonstrates an emerging industry in which firms
seeking to boost their brands' popularity pay low-skilled
workers overseas to become their Facebook fans or
Twitter followers. The study, Knowledge Map of the
Virtual Economy, is the World Bank's first in-depth
look at the impact of online gaming and social media
in the developing world. Vili Lehdonvirta, a co-author
of the report, advised that the bank should not pour
its money into the industry, because he said the deal
making violated some of the game publishers' terms
of service and was cheating. Known in the business
as "gold farming", the game-playing boomed
in the early 2000s with games like World of Warcraft
and has evolved considerably. Labourers in Asia spend
numerous hours each day advancing through levels of
an online game, picking up gold, swords and gems that
enhance a game player's status. Then gaming studios,
which employ the players, sell those virtual goods
to online retailers. Next step, the retailers sell
on those goods to more than 120 million players globally,
many of them in Europe and North America, who don't
want to play the games day and night to gather their
own. The bank's report indicates that online gaming
has a positive impact in Asia because 70% of the industry's
revenue remains in the gaming countries, with most
of that money going to the gaming studios. Compared
with the $US70 billion coffee market...in which only
a tiny fraction of the revenue remains in the bean-growing
countries...the gaming industry had a "much better
development impact", the report states. A report
survey checks out on a group of 26 players and studio
managers that offers a rough, yet rare demographic
look at their lives. Most of the players work out
of studios in China, in Beijing or Changsha, capital
of Hunan province. They earn an average wage of $US2.70
an hour, $US1 more than Beijing's minimum wage for
part-time factory work. "The larger point is
that online gaming is often viewed as exploitation,
Lehdonvirta said. "Certainly it's not a dream
career, but the players are not at sweatshop levels."
The gaming studios keep about 60% of the industry's
$US3 billion in revenue. Readers, would you like to
be a prize gather for the gaming studios on that level
of pay? Better not answer!

Samoan
Casino Proposal Has Social Concerns For Kiwi, Samoan
Locals...

All
these places have land based casinos - Las Vegas,
Monte Carlo, Macau, Melbourne and just maybe soon
- Apia in Samoa. Some business folks have earmarked
it as a future gambling destination, and Kiwi group,
the Problem Gambling Foundation of New Zealand, is
advising against it, citing social harms of a casino
will outweigh any economical benefits that the Samoan
government will hope to achieve. In an admission of
the dangers of gambling, the proposed casino in Apia
will attempt to bar locals by only allowing the holders
of foreign passports to gamble. Problem #1... many
locals have duplicate passports, so getting in to
a casino for locals may not be that hard, and don't
even bring up the subject of fake ID. Will the region
get a land based casino? Stay tuned for updates.

Clubs
Australia War On Gillard Labor Government Re Pokie
Laws...

Clubs
Australia has declared "open warfare" on
the Gillard government, preparing a $20 million media
campaign to try to stop laws to limit how much punters
can spend on poker machines. Last year "Tasmanian
Devil" (MM satire) independent MP Andrew Wilkie
backed Labor to form a minority government in return
for a clampdown on the use of poker machines. Now,
the lobby that represents clubs and pubs is wrestling
and punching back, with a media blitz targeting Wilkie
and Prime Minister Julie Gillard. Both Wilkie and
Gillard are in big trouble in the popularity polls,
with Labor set to lose the next federal election,
following their NSW loss, where it was bloody and
crimson mass. Billboards, a website, beer coasters
and more It's war on nationwide. The campaign has
been criticised as misleading for claiming punters
will need a licence to gamble. Clubs Australia executive
director Anthony Ball rejects that. "What we
do know is that everyone who plays a poker machine
will need to register and obtain a card, and then
insert it into a poker machine and set a binding limit.
There needs to be player tracking, because how else
does the machine know what the player is doing? It
will have your private details and your gambling history
on it. Now if that's not a licence, I don't know what
is." Under Wilkie's master plan, gamblers would
have to nominate a dollar figure for how much they
are prepared to lose before they start gambling, a
scheme known as "mandatory pre-commitment".
Wilkie wants the law in place by 2014 and he has the
backing of South Australian independent Senator Nick
'Mr X' (MM satire) Xenophon. Senator Xenophon describes
the Clubs Australia campaign as a "joke".
"This industry is willing to spend $20 million
of tax-break money that they get from community clubs
- effectively taxpayers' monies, indirectly - to peddle
lies in terms of a campaign where they haven't even
seen what the final report will say. Whether it's
$20 million or $200 million, this mob can spend as
much as they like, but they can't spin that they are
causing enormous damage out in the community. There
are 300,000 Australians who either have a severe gambling
problem because of poker machines, or are already
showing the signs of one."

Proposed
Pokie Laws With Cost 10,000's of Aussie Jobs...

Clubs
Australia advise the changes will cost jobs. They
want it to be a voluntary scheme and have rejected
a government request to hold off on the ad war. "It
will cost jobs, for the simple reason that asking
Australians to sign on to this licence to gamble will
mean they'll do something else," Mr Ball said.
"They'll go and gamble online where none of these
controls exist, or they they'll go to the TAB - they
won't do it at the club.Even the proponent of this,
Andrew Wilkie, is saying that this will cost up to
40% of revenue."
It's all hot fodder in Aussie Parliament too. Liberal
Steve Ciobo sits on the joint committee on gambling
reform, which has been hearing arguments pro and con
against a mandatory pre-commitment scheme. "The
committee was charged by the Labor party with the
responsibility to look at a roll-out of pre-commitment,"
he said. "But Coalition members will be putting
in a dissenting report because the evidence is clear
that it's going to cost jobs, it's going to cost investment,
and I'm concerned based on the evidence that it will
make problem gambling potentially worse." The
committee is due to report in the next few weeks.
The states and territories have until the end of May
to decide if they will agree to the Wilkie-led reforms.
If they refuse, the Commonwealth believes it has the
power to introduce overriding legislation to impose
a national scheme. The pokie industry has shown the
willingness to wrestle all the way to the next election,
and perhaps even beyond. It's the lovers VS the haters.
Who will win, and when will the final victor emerge.
Stay tuned.

Sky
City Entertainment Group Stocks Fall From Sky...

Sky
City Entertainment Group, the casino and hotel operator,
fell 0.9% to $3.41 amid media reports that overseas
competitors were looking to hire the 500 staff made
redundant or on leave without pay due to the closure
of the Christchurch Casino. SkyCity owns a 50% stake
in the business.

Casino
Bouncer Thought Disabled Bloke Was Drunk...

A
South Australian man with deasiese cerebral palsy
says he was refused entry to the Adelaide Casino because
the bouncer thought he was drunk. Mark Thiele was
on a big night out with friends when he attempted
to enter the casino, but was refused by a bouncer
aka "gorilla". Thiele says the bouncer mistakenly
thought he was drunk, but the casino is sticking by
its decision. "I had said to the man that I wasn't
a drunk, I was crippled," said Thiele, talking
about his rejection on 7.30 South Australia. "He
had said to me he was convinced I was intoxicated
even though we said that I had only had a few drinks
earlier on in the evening. "So I can't see why
I was singled out and everybody else in my party wasn't.
There was no difference between any of us besides
the obvious. It's a mystery to me really." Last
month, he and his friends had walked to the casino
from the city's Hindley Street entertainment strip
a few blocks away. Thiele has trouble moving his body
and for him, walking distances is a big effort. His
mate Aaron Nettlebeck says the casino bouncer did
not understand. "Walking that sort of distance
does get very, very sweaty over that sort of short
period. It was a bit infuriating that it happened
like that after such a nice evening." Thiele
says he has not had a problem at venues until now.
"For the vast majority it's never been a problem.
Bouncers that I've come into contact with have been
understanding and even let me skip the line a few
times just to put me at ease," he said. "Obviously
it's a stamina thing that I can't walk these long
distances and stand in lines and all of these things."
He says he is considering lodging a complaint with
the commission or under South Australia's liquor laws.The
casino's general manager, David Christian, has offered
an apology of sorts. "It was certainly not our
intention that Mark would have felt discriminated
against and I'm sorry that he does feel that way,"
he said. But he is defending the actions of his staff.
"They believe that they made the right call.
I would believe that with the calibre we have and
the training we put into our security officers, and
the level of management that oversees it, that they
would be right most of the time."

Financial
and emotional aftershocks are still be felt by the
casino sector after a series of earthquakes that rocked
the Asia Pacific - Japan and New Zealand region. Christchurch
Casino workers are feeling disappointed and even depressed
after having failed attempt to get a bigger redundancy
payday.In excess of 500 formally happy and motivated
casino employees were offered redundancy at the central
Christchurch casino last weekend, which was badly
damaged in the February 22 quake and has stayed closed
ever since the act of mother nature. Anyone who wants
to stay at the casino will be paid their holiday pay
as either a weekly amount or in a "lump sum".
Simply put, they will remain as employees of the land
based casino on leave without pay until the the gambling
den opens again. The SFWU (Service and Food Workers'
Union), which reps for 100 plus casino workers, has
a meeting with the casino's managers on Thursday.
SFWU strategic industry boss Len 'Razor' (MM tag)
Richards said workers were sombre but firm in their
desire about securing a more attractive redundancy
package. The union power that be were also asking
for continued pay for employees that choose to stay
on until the casino opens again. However, he advised
management was not prepared to increase the amount
of redundancy pay for staff, but did agree to request
for a government wage subsidy. Due to a private insurance
deal and policy in place, the land based casino has
not relied upon the $1.5 million government subsidy
available for quake-affected businesses. Richards
stated that the union has contacted earthquake recovery
minister Gerry Brownlee to request assistance to help
pay workers who remain employed. SkyCity, half owner
of the famous Christchurch Casino, has projected a
$130 million plus profit this year. It's not known
how much financially the quake cost Christchurch Casino
or SkyCity. Christchurch Casino top sheep er top dog...chief
executive Brett 'Ask Him' (MM satire) Anderson said
about 70% of employees have indicated they will stay
with the company rather than take the offered redundancy.
He said a number of employees are also being offered
jobs offshore. Anderson elaborated "I'm getting
phone calls from Australia looking for our people
and likewise all over New Zealand, and a few of them
have spread their wings. More than a few have gone
over to the Gold Coast. It's a lot warmer, it's a
lot more stable, you can swim in the sea, the pay
rates are better." Anderson said he still does
not know when the casino will reopen.Employees have
a deadline until Monday to decide whether they will
take the redundancy package or stay on. Yep, it's
the money or the box. Workers who have not contacted
the company by showdown at 5pm on Monday will be deemed
to have left their jobs and will be paid out a four-weeks-notice
payment, along with their annual leave entitlements.
Casino workers, did you get that. D Day is approaching.

A
Media Man spokesperson said "In the current global
economy anyone with a decent job should be grateful,
especially in the casino or gaming sector. Well done
to Christchurch Casino management for doing their
utmost to assist in their difficult times. Employers
will always want to ask for more... its in the nature.
Land based casinos generally remain popular around
the world so good staff will always be in demand."

Media
Man and Gambling911 wish all parties well with their
dealings, and hopefully some win - win - wins will
still be possible.

States
Probe Sports Betting Ads...

Aussie
states are uniting to consider a crackdown on an explosion
in advertising of sports betting, Victoria's Gaming
Minister says. Michael O'Brien last night revealed
the betting blitz on sport was being examined by the
Council of Australian Governments. "There is
growing concern at the extent to which is becoming
inseparable from the coverage of major sporting events.
Kids are being exposed to it constantly just by watching
the footy or cricket," he said.AFL chief executive
Andrew Demetriou said the league had expressed its
concerns to stadium managers. Goal posts, boundary
line fences and scoreboards at the MCG and Etihad
Stadium have been plastered with ads from bookmakers.
Demetriou said the alarm was raised during last year's
Brownlow Medal telecast. "There seemed to be
an enormous amount of (gambling) advertising after
each break," he told press. O'Brien said the
AFL, which enjoys lucrative sponsorship arrangements
with gambling giants, could take responsibility through
its media and stadium deals. "It may be that
there's an opportunity for this influence to be exercised
to ensure the promotion of sports betting isn't allowed
to detract from family-friendly objectives of (such)
sports," he said. This week, former Demon Daniel
Ward revealed in the the newspapers his battle with
gambling. "It's always in your face," he
said of the ads. "It's like being a drug addict
and an advert comes on saying, 'The first 50 people
to ring will get a free bag of marijuana'."

Sin
City Sydney babe Kahili Blundell has snatched the
Ralph Australian Swimwear Model of the Year comp.
The Crows Nest bikini super babe bested more than
2000 babes from all over Australia and Kiwi land to
grab the coveted title at Sin Sydney's Star City Casino
on Thurday. "I feel more than special right now,
I'm blown away and so honoured to be given this position,"
Blundell said. "I was expecting him to call another
number and I stood there thinking 27, is that me?
"It's also my boyfriend's birthday, but I realised
it was me and I was shivering." The 21-year-old
Jennifer Hawkins lookalike works as a personal assistant
and dabbles in makeup artistry in her spare time.
Blundell says modelling has been tough, slogging it
out for 3 years. "Since November I've been training
every week for this, thinking about it every night,"
she said. "I've been brought up to eat very healthy,
so I don't have too much trouble doing that, but I
definitely exercise a lot. I've been working very
hard so thank god it's all paid off." The comp
saw the 38 finalists strut their stuff in catwalk
parades. Sex bikinis were all the rage. A select group
of a bakers dozen were picked, then reigning champ
Emmi Moore handed over her sash and championship title
to Blundell. "I've been doing this for three
years now and this is exactly what I've been dreaming
and hoping for," Blundell said. "I'm open
to any opportunity and I love challenges. I've obviously
done well in the bikini field, so I might just continue
on this track for a little while." Burlesque
babe Sina King from Underbelly home Melbourne snatched
runner-up while second runner-up went to 21-year-old
writer - journo type Tiffany Baker from Fremantle
in Western Australia.

Down
under's Australia's Michael Katsidis and his opponent
in Sunday's (AEST) interim lightweight world-title
fight at Las Vegas' MGM Grand Casino, America's Robert
"The Ghost" Guerrero, also have powerful
stories. Guerrero's world was crushed big time circa
2007 when his wife, Casey, was diagnosed with leukemia.
The Californian gave up boxing, giving up his world-title,
so he could be by Casey's side and stay close to their
young children as she underwent a bone-marrow transplant.
Things are now looking up for Guerrero. "Casey
has been cancer free for almost a year now,"
28-year-old Guerrero, the number one ranked lightweight
in the world and a former featherweight and super
featherweight champion, said. Last year Katsidis'
was having a dream run. The likable 30-year-old blokefrom
Toowoomba celebrated his first wedding anniversary
with wife Kumiko. He loved being a dad to their one-year-old
daughter Kalia and was preparing for the biggest bout
of his career, a world-title fight in Las Vegas against
Mexican legend Juan Manuel Marquez. Things quickly
went downhill when five weeks before the Marquez fight
he learned his 31-year-old brother, champion Australian
jockey (horse racing) Stathi Katsidis, had passed
away. Just days later Katsidis' longtime trainer,
Brendon Smith, received two more bad news calls. Smith's
nephew got paralysed from the chest down in an accident
and one of the trainer's former boxers passed away.
"We got it all within three weeks and just before
the Marquez fight," Smith said. Katsidis and
Smith made the call to keep training at their Thai
boxing camp and take on Marquez at the MGM Grand Casino,
a match that would be voted the Fight of the Year
after Katsidis floored Marquez to the mat in the third
round. Marquez guts and balls by getting up and pounding
Katsidis so badly ref Kenny Bayless ended the match
in the ninth round, giving Marquez a ninth round technical
knockout victory. On the eve of the Guerrero fight,
Katsidis and Smith, who kept quite before the Marquez
bout, finally opened up about their personal tragedies.
Katsidis did not sleep two days before the Marquez
fight. "He was emotionally spent before he got
in the ring and to do what he did under the circumstances
was incredible," Smith said. "I believe
if something doesn't kill you it only makes you stronger,"
Katsidis said. Guerrero has 22 knockouts in his 27
professional victories. "This is truly a fight
for boxing fans," Guerrero, who has a 28 win
(18 KO), one loss professional record, said. "You
are going to see two guys go at it and give it their
all." The winner of the match will be named the
interim World Boxing Association and World Boxing
Organisation lightweight champions. Promoter 'Golden
Boy' Oscar De La Hoya has named the MGM card "Action
Heroes", with another Mexican legend, Erik Morales,
fighting Argentina's exciting welterweight contender
Marcos Maidana and in another welterweight battle,
Brooklyn's Paulie Malignaggi VS Jose Miguel Cotto.
The matches will be broadcast live in Australia on
Sunday from 11am AEST by Main Event pay-per-view.
"For a boxing card, sounds like it will be value
for money for a bit of a change", said a Media
Man insider.

G'day
punters, casino and gambling millionaires and billionaires,
sports nuts, politicians, legal eagles, one and all.
Australia remains red hot territory for gambling news.
We've got Aussie sports media commentators plugging
gambling, the pro club gambling campaign driving forward,
NRL sports betting probe developments with a link
to Tasmanian "devils" and Aussie pokies
manufacture Aristocrat making a comeback, with the
pokies boss hitting his own jackpot. All that and
more. Media Man http://www.mediamanint.com
and Gambling911
with your gambling, sports betting and pokies news
mix from the land of kangaroos and koalas, with a
rabid Tasmanian devil on the loose...

Gambling
Companies Push Via TV Broadcasts And News Media...

Gambling
giants have the big push on via promoting sports
betting with a volatile and quite effective array
of sweet deals with clubs,
sporting codes, television stations and a big spread
of traditional and new media
outlets.

Sports
commentators are at the front line with frequent betting
odds updates, and mid-match updates are a field day,
if you will. It's all part of the strategy in place
with bookies and big name gambling operators.

"If
you like to have a punt on rugby league, and why wouldn't
ya, the Broncos are $1.50 on TAB Sportsbet,"
former Queensland Origin great Paul Vautin told NRL
viewers in Friday's opening-round match against the
Cowboys.

"Please
bet responsibly - we have to say that. If you race
down to the TAB at half-time, or ring TAB Sportsbet,
they are the prices at the moment."

Next
up was Network
Nine broadcaster Wally Lewis just after the first
half of the game with "TAB Sportsbet right now,
Broncos first to score in the second half, $1.75."

Plenty
of other sports are in on the action too, with Network
Nine sports getting the nod on the most gambling and
sports betting plugs. Cricket has broadcasting Richie
Benaud discussing the odds, with a bit of help from
his fellow commentators, as part of a cool deal with
James
Packer's 50% owned Betfair.

Nine
head of sport Steve Crawley said the broadcaster's
promotion was no different from newspapers providing
odds on sports and horse races.

"We're
electronic media, so when we do that it's in-game.
I realise some people have awful problems with gambling,
but the reality is that it's getting bigger and bigger."

It's
hot fodder in the NRL, which is sponsored by TAB Sportsbet,
has deals with "approved betting providers"
and permits clubs to have their own gambling sponsors.

The
footy still has a scandal on the go from alleged illegal
betting surrounding last year's infamous Canterbury
Bulldogs VS North Queensland Cowboys game.

NRL
chief exec David Gallop said corruption was one of
the biggest concerns for sporting administrators.

"The
risks in terms of penalties have to be severe,"
said Gallop, who is pushing for a specific match-fixing
offence and has warned of offenders facing life bans.

The
AFL is also sponsored by TAB Sportsbet and betting
firms support individual clubs, including Centrebet's
deal with 2010 runner-up St Kilda for a reported $1
million a year.

John
"Singo" Singleton, who happens to love
a punt himself, in the man and the brains behind the
$20 million advertising campaign by the Aussie clubs
against the Julia Gillard government's slot machine
reforms.

The
Gillard government is hell bent so it seems to implement
the "problem gambling" reforms to retain
whatever support might remain from Tasmanian "devil"
(satire) "independent" Andrew Wilkie.

Singo's
ad firm Banjo has developed a media and public relations
campaign to focus on recreational gamblers' fears
of having any government 'Big Brother' spying on their
betting habits. Yep, we kid you not. Australia's are
being spied on, and pokie palaces may turn into one
of the ultimate evil "eyes in the sky",
that may end up making Google Earth and Google Maps
look like child's play.

The
Banjo deal for a cool $20 mil, running for 2 years,
started with online video and newspaper adverts. It
will then pick up even more stream via radio, television,
billboards and even pub coasters. Australian newspapers
have already been giving the news story strong mileage
and its taking on a life of its own, with most gamblers
hating what they hear of government 'Big Brother'.

The
clubs is dead against a mandatory scheme for players
to register before playing poker machines, using so
called smartcards (not so smart say European trials)
and self-selected gambling limits (which can be manipulated).

A
leak said "Clubs Australia said that gambling
revenue will drop considerably as recreational gamblers
get pissed with the government and clubs, and will
take more to online gambling "like a duck to
water". This is right on the money and cards.
The 'Big Brother' approach is a false solution - actually,
its no solution. It's a smokescreen and spin. The
public are not that stupid, they are actually quite
smart, and Labor has underestimated Australians intelligence
once again. No wonder Labor lost the NSW state election".

Singo
and a consortium of investors, including the investment
banker Mark Carnegie, the retail king Gerry Harvey
and ex Qantas chief executive Geoff Dixon, have purchased
high-profile Sydney pubs including Kinselas, the Bellevue
Hotel and Peakhurst Inn. Singleton also jointly owns
the Hotel Steyne in Manly.

He
had a strong association with the Labor government
under Bob Hawke during the '80s and early '90s, but
last year developed ads attacking Labor on health
during the election campaign, and earlier joined the
mega push against the mining tax with a campaign for
a Perth client, tipped to be Andrew "Twiggy"
Forrest.

"The
government's belated decision to perform a cost benefit
analysis on mandatory pre-commitment is back to front,''
a spokesman for Clubs
NSW said.

''This
sort of analysis should have been done before the
government announced it was introducing the technology.

''If
that had been done then almost certainly the Prime
Minister would never have been conned by Andrew Wilkie
into making a commitment that will devastate the club
industry.''

The
Families Minister, Jenny Macklin, said ''The government's
position is clear and has not changed.''

Police
Seek Woman Punter Re NRL Cowboys - Bulldogs Betting
Scandal...

Police
have released CCTV images of yet another punter they
want to speak to about an alleged NRL betting scam.
The images were captured at a Browns Bay betting outlet
in Auckland, New
Zealand, between 4.50pm and 5.15pm on August 20
last year - the day before the game between the Bulldogs
and North Queensland Cowboys, police advised. The
woman was described as being aged in her 20s, with
a slim build, shoulder-length hair and of Caucasian
appearance. She was wearing a dark-coloured zippered
hooded jacket, blue jeans and carrying a red handbag
and was seen pushing a young boy in a pram, police
said. She returned to the betting facility about 5.35pm
on August 21. Police said in a statement that they
were not alleging she had done anything illegal, but
said investigators wanted to find out who she was
so they could speak to her. Player agent Sam Ayoub
and ex-player John Elias have been charged in direct
relation to the betting inquiry, while now ex-Bulldogs
prop Ryan Tandy has been charged with four counts
of giving false or misleading evidence to a NSW Crime
Commission hearing. Among the charges Tandy faces
is one of giving false evidence about having placed
a bet on a game between the Bulldogs and Gold Coast,
also last year. The charges against Ayoub and Elias
followed an unusual plunge on a betting option that
the first points of that game would come from a penalty
goal. Tandy was penalised two minutes into the game
for impeding Cowboys playmaker Grant Rovelli in front
of the posts. The Cowboys were awarded a penalty,
but took a tap kick instead of kicking for goal. Tandy,
29, pleaded not guilty to all charges during his appearance
in Sydney's Downing Centre Local Court on March 3.
Meanwhile, St George Illawarra can finally get down
to concentrating on their 2011 following Wayne Bennett's
decision to leave the club at the end of the season.
The coach's announcement has removed the largest cloud
hanging over the Dragons' premiership defence, with
the constant innuendo and rumour having played a part
in the side's sluggish start to the year. While the
issue won't be fully resolved until Bennett reveals
where he will coach next season, back-rower Ben Creagh
said news of the coach's impending departure would
at least focus the players' efforts on getting the
most out of the time he had left. While the appointment
of Bennett's right-hand man, Steve Price, and the
retention of much of the same squad for 2012 should
ensure a smooth transition to the new era, the Dragons'
best chance to win another premiership in the near
future would surely be while Bennett is the man.

Aristocrat
Boss Hits The Jackpot...

Jamie
Odell, chief exec of Aussie pokie manufacturer Aristocrat,
has hit the jackpot on an 'one armed bandit', if you
follow the lingo. Odell snatched 24% jump in total
pay to $2.5 million last year, despite Aristocrat
putting out another very average result. The chief
executive's base pay in the period increased 19% to
$1.25 million. Aristocrat's normalised profit after
tax dropped 53% in 2010. One of the resolutions at
the upcoming June AGM in Sydney to be voted on by
shareholders is a grant to Odell of 1.02 million performance
share rights as part of his long-term incentive package.
The rights, which would be granted over a 3-year period,
are performance based. If Aristocrat happens to outperform
the ASX 100 by more than 10% cent each year, Odell
will snatch 30% of the shares. He will get 70% of
the shares if he hits certain earnings targets. Will
he meet his targets and hit the Gold Mega Jackpot?
Stay tuned to find out. Aristocrat is also currently
working on a number of b2b deal with online casino
operators which are also tipped to return a healthy
jackpot to the company, as well as hours of fun for
online gamblers.

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Gamblers,
gamers, insiders, outsiders and everyone else...you
are likely familiar with some of the "attack
journalism" having been thrown around at the
Australian, UK and American gambling industry. Now,
a new wave of attack by another small but vocal part
of the community, media and academics has hit the
gaming industry... yep, video games and the like.
Media Man
and Gambling911 take the consul by the hand, throw
on our 3D glasses, wire up the Wiki and Wii and plug
into The Matrix with this special report...

Australia
Down Under

History
- circa 16th Feb 2010

Ex
South Australian Attorney-General Michael Atkinson
tells news media and anyone that will listen "Gamers
were scarier than bikers", and then psych Wayne
Warburton... "Gaming was worse than smoking".
Interesting, since a number of Australian teachers
and parents have found that by incorporating video
games in class has helped children learn some subject
matter better! Folks, always be on the lookout for
"junk science".

Scary
Elders And Thought Police Go Global

The
appropriately named "Pope" ... Steve Pope
in Pommie Land UK tells us 2 hours of playing video
games is equivalent to doing a line of cocaine. Pope,
tell us, where do you get your coke and games from,
so we can check it out? ... just kidding dear Pope.

"Spending
two hours on a game station is equivalent to taking
a line of cocaine in the high it produces". It
is the fastest growing addiction in the country and
this is affecting young people mentally, as well as
leading to physical problems such as obesity".

Media
Man and G911 are interested in seeing the proof in
the bold Godly claims.

UK's
Evening Post has digging for dirt er facts, regarding
youth and gaming. Their message ala "stay on
message" as in the political world...

A
trend in young people in the county are seeking professional
help after becoming hooked on the fantasy world of
console games. Skipping meals, class and stealing
from parents to feed the habit.

Kids
stealing from parents is nothing new, and it goes
back long before video games were invested. Unfortunately,
stealing is part of the human make up. For the record,
Gambling911 and Media Man do not steal, but we're
just saying ok.

Two
hours of playing good, entertaining games (not boring
ones) can produce the same high as taking a line of
cocaine! Well, that's what the apparent self appointed
expert claims.

Figures
are being quoted by the so called experts which we
think don't deserve the space here, as the figures
are not scientific ala (Japanese Whaling). G911 and
Media Man will get back to covering the casino "whales"
and "super whales" soon enough, for those
of you scratching your head at this point.

Ok,
a couple of quotes from "Jack", thanks to
the UK rag...

"Playing
on my games console was all I wanted to do and it
was the first thing I thought of as soon as I woke
up. I would play for hours on end without even realising.
It was like it was a demon that had got inside my
brain and I just couldn'tt stop. If my parents
tried to stop me playing, I would just flip. I lost
touch with my mates, started doing badly at school
and became an angry and aggressive person that wasnt
the real me.".

Sounds
like he might have been playing Grand Theft Auto,
or maybe Resident Evil, Hellboy, The Terminator, Call
Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare or a combination whopper
burger with the works.

Pope,
a counsellor and therapist, advises he is seeing increasing
numbers of youngsters suffering from game addiction.
"

"A
lot of young people get themselves into a situation
where they use video games as an escape from the world
and they get hooked on the release of adrenaline it
gives. Spending two hours on a game station is equivalent
to taking a line of cocaine in the high it produces.
It is the fastest growing addiction in the country
and this is affecting young people mentally, as well
as leading to physical problems such as obesity. It
gives parents peace and quiet, but it becomes a concern
when it is all the child wants to do. I saw one 14-year-old
Preston boy who played on games for 24 hours non stop
and had not eaten and was showing signs of dehydration.
When his parents tried to take his console away, he
became aggressive and threatened to jump out of a
window. We have also dealt with children who have
been skipping school and others who have been stealing
from their parents to buy games. Computer game addiction
can also spiral into violence as after playing violent
games, they may turn their fantasy games into reality.
But it is not just children who are suffering - a
growing number of adults are addicted to the Internet
and to sites like Facebook. I am working with one
family where a 74-year-old grandmother is addicted
to online poker, her daughter is addicted to eBay
and has bought 270 pairs of shoes and her grand-daughter
is addicted to Facebook. The poisoned chalice is being
handed down through the generations".

Premiership
footballers have also said to come under the apparent
evil spell.

"Many
footballers are playing on hand-held consoles and
computer games before a game and this is resulting
in a natural high which is causing a chemical imbalance
which is leading to them not performing their best
on the pitch. I am the psychotherapist for Fleetwood
Town and they ban their players from using any form
of console for at least 24 hours before a game.".
Interesting timing with the FIFA World Cup (and associated
video games coming up).

The
UK Interactive Entertainment Association politely
declined to comment on the matter re gaming addiction
and whether they believed it was an issue they needed
to tackle.

Media
Man and G11 have also recently warned readers that
iphones and "smart phones" can be more dangerous
that gambling! A Media Man spokesperson said, "Gambling
can be a problem for some people, but people can have
all sorts of problems, gambling being just one of
100s or 1000s of potential problems to a person. When
gaming or gambling we recommend you now what the data
charges, download limits and the like are, so you
don't go over quote. That, and also don't go over
budget either. Know your limits, in both categories,
know the odds, and have fun".

Gamers
in the meantime look forward to learning more of the
upcoming e3 Gaming Expo in Los Angeles come 15th to
17 June. Don't just play the game, be the game! (but
know your limits). As Alex Jones says, "InfoWars,
because there is a war on for your mind!"